This section provides background information related to the present disclosure which is not necessarily prior art.
When a vehicle travels around a corner or otherwise turns, centrifugal forces tend to cause the vehicle to roll, redistributing weight of the vehicle away from one or more of the vehicle's wheels. This weight redistribution may cause instability and may impede the ability of a driver to control the vehicle. To resist the vehicle's tendency to roll in response to centrifugal forces, vehicles typically include a stabilizer bar interconnecting two wheels of the vehicle.
While the stabilizer bar reduces roll, it also transmits shock from one wheel to another, causing the motion of one wheel to be copied to another wheel. If a vehicle so equipped was to strike a bump with one wheel, for example, the upward force (i.e., jounce) imparted to that wheel would be transmitted through the stabilizer bar to the opposite wheel, causing the opposite wheel to move in an upward direction. This “cross-talk” between the vehicle wheels is undesirable, as it adversely affects vehicle ride.
Torsional stiffness of stabilizer bars may inhibit free and independent travel of the vehicle wheels relative to each other. The weight of a wheel and its mounting structure is typically insufficient to cause the stabilizer bar to rotate. This condition may hinder the vehicle's ability to effectively navigate uneven terrain. For example, it is possible for one of the vehicle wheels to remain in an elevated position over a dip in the terrain due to the torsional resistance of the stabilizer bar, thereby preventing all of the vehicle's wheels or tires from adequately gripping the terrain.
The teachings of the present disclosure provide a relatively cost-effective and less complex means for disconnecting one or more of the vehicle's wheels from an anti-roll system. Further, integrating such means into the vehicle may be less burdensome on vehicle packaging constraints than previously known anti-roll systems that are disconnectable at a point on the stabilizer bar.